Autumn has set in… As with many of our loved ones (or ourselves), the autumn of life is here and winter is inexorably approaching giving the impression that nature is dying. A deceptive appearance because life always springs up in spring. So it is with our departed who await eternal life in the bliss of Heaven. Although the gardener has slowed down his activity, he is no less vigilant in providing specific care to his vegetable garden… This is all the care that we are asked to take to prepare our faithful departed for their eternal spring!
May the Lord bless each one of you,
Geneviève Vignes, coordinator for the Headquarters
Our deceased
The memory of our deceased brings back in us very natural emotions linked to the moments spent in their company. But if we want to be honest with ourselves, our grief weakens and diminishes over time. Despite our sorrow and our deepest love, our prayers for them are becoming rarer, as are our visits to the cemetery. Yet there is no assurance that the souls of our departed are saved and enjoy eternal bliss.
Moreover, a sorrow moves the Heart of Jesus, because of Himself, He cannot free these souls from purgatory. There is a need for charitable hearts that are willing to pray, to offer Masses and sacrifices for them. Indeed, when we ourselves have disappeared, and we do not know when, will we be satisfied with meagre testimonies of gratitude and affection from our survivors? Now it will be given to us to the parsimonious extent that we ourselves have given to others.
To exonerate ourselves from this burden, we prefer to persuade ourselves that our dear deceased no longer need our help, that they now rest in peace because their existence was praiseworthy and their last visit so edifying. We find so many qualities in them at the time of their funeral! But who assures us that these souls are in heaven? St Augustine and the St Curé of Ars remembered their deceased mother all their lives, even thirty years after her death.
To confirm this, the Church has introduced plenary indulgences, Masses that we can offer for the repose of their souls, specific prayers, the Feast of the Dead and All Saints… Let us think of our deceased, let us pray for them, they will return it to us when the time comes. The visible and invisible world are one. (Commentaries on the zealous notes of Sr. Marie of the Sacred Heart Bernaud – canon J.Théloz 1908)